Cruzinha is a vital area for thoudands of birds that came from the north and use this area as a stop point in their journey to Africa. To substain this journey they need a safe area where they can take power again. This area is important also for reptils, anphybios and insects that depend by the mouth of Ria da Alvor river. In Cruzinha live also many species of plants because of this the work of the Centre is to look for the natural grew of plants, insects and birds. The archives of the centre shows informations about more than 500 species of plants, 100 species of molluschi ,250 species of birds.

Cruzinha was established in 1986 by the A Rocha Trust, a Christian charity, as a field study centre and bird observatory. Since then, the centre has welcomed thousands of visitors from all over the world.

Cruzinha has specific aims, for example:

1] to promote an activity concern for nature conservation by providing facilities for both residencial and day visitors,

2] to study the ecology of the western Algarve with particolar concern for the migration and protection of birds,

3] to assist local and national initiatives in environmental education and conservation.

The project as forged strong links with the national student Christian movement, the Grupo Biblico Universitario, and in 1992 a group of portuguese supporters formed the Associaçao A Rocha to take over the management of the Centre. A Rocha works also in Poland, Argentina, France and U.K.

The Algarve has a wealth of ecological interest and natural beauty. In recent years it has undergone dramatic trasformation, allied to rapid development following Portugal's entry into the European Community. The annual influx of millions of tourist has also had a profound impact on the landscape. Together with many convervation organisations world-wide, the team at Cruzinha recognise that our beliefs about the natural world lie behind the way we treat the environment. So we are active in working for the protection of the remaining important habitats in the western Algarve At Cruzinha, we have always worked to support local and national initiatives in nature conservation. In particular we have a close partnership with the Liga para a Protecçao da Natureza (LPN) and the Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves (SPEA). Our work has been supported by the Portuguese Government, the European Community, WWF and Birdlife International, amongst others. We are working closely with the local councils to bring about the designation of the Alvore estuary as a "Protected Area". The results of fieldwork on birds, plants, insects and land use, have been distributed within Portugal and abroad through conference presentations, reports and articles.